[Pirate X]

Originally Posted by Sean

Australia has an Army?

So does Iraq.

[Hal]

Originally Posted by Pirate X

So does Iraq.

And that answer is revelant to all of this, how?

[cheezMcNASTY]

Originally Posted by Walker

Yeah. Not that I feel the need to answer for him, but I'm going to anyway. He said he wanted infantry or combat engineering. That's not avoiding combat. Admittedly, combat engineers can also spend lots of time sitting behind the lines building bases or whatever, but their major purpose is to go in very early to start building/repairing roads, bridges, infrastructure, bases, and so on. Plus EOD is usually a engineering specialty, if I remember right.

thanks for the correction.
even though that wasn't my point... be careful that they don't assign you to a place that you don't want to be. an old high school buddy of mine signed up for the national guard and somehow ended up (without volunteering) in Afghanistan.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by Pirate X

So does Iraq.

They did.

Republican Guard, we ****ed em up so bad they can't even rebuild their army again! They mostly having security forces, like cops, that follow what our troops do. But they are trying to rebuild the Iraq Army.

[Walker]

Originally Posted by cheezMcNASTY

thanks for the correction.
even though that wasn't my point... be careful that they don't assign you to a place that you don't want to be. an old high school buddy of mine signed up for the national guard and somehow ended up (without volunteering) in Afghanistan.

Yeah... that's kinda what happens if you join the military. Once you volunteer to be a soldier, they mostly send you where they need you. No matter what they say, the National Guard IS part of the Army/Air Force. If they need you, you go. Also, if the bureaucracy decides, "hey! Let's send this guy to Afghanistan!" you go, too. Even if, say, you're an expert in veterinary psychology who signed up to train dog teams, they can still decide to make you a rifleman.

Never said the Army was smart.

[Necromancer11]

Originally Posted by Sean

Australia has an Army?

Please let that be a joke...

[Tiamatria]

I was always more interested in being a cop than in the military, because it's be sooo much cooler to get shot by a crack addict rather than getting blown to bits by a cell phone. xD

[Pirate X]

Originally Posted by Tiamatria

I was always more interested in being a cop than in the military, because it's be sooo much cooler to get shot by a crack addict rather than getting blown to bits by a cell phone. xD

IED. Not a cell phone. IED = Improvised Explosive Device.

[Tiamatria]

Originally Posted by Pirate X

IED. Not a cell phone. IED = Improvised Explosive Device.

Whatever. Still, IEDs, Bouncing Betties, grenades, etc. Are not my cuppa tea.

[Arseface]

Thanks for all your responses, guys!

Originally Posted by Firis

What country do you live in again? As long as you are participating in what you like then
I would love to join the Army but would never join the U.S Army at it's current stage.

I live in Australia.

Originally Posted by The White Knight

Seriously, why? What is the point?


Anyway, @Necromancer a lot of people enjoy being in the army. Theres a risk of dying or injury but you meet people, you get to do the thing you love as theres loads of careers to choose from. It isn't a sergeant shouting at you to do pushups and then you dying in battle the next day. The pushups only happen at boot camp or during some pyshical excersises.

I can only barely do the required 15 push-ups and 45 sit-ups required for the physical test to get in

Originally Posted by Walker

Congrats-- I take it that you're going enlisted, instead of ROTC (if the Aussie army even has a Reserve Officer Training Corps)? I have to say that I approve. I considered joining the Army a few times, but I'd rather go Coast Guard.

Nah, we don't have a ROTC (at least I don't think we do, based on a 5 second Wikipedia check of what the ROTC is). I signed up for the Army Reserve. It's the full army, just part time. I can't really afford to go full time (and nor do I want to) as I have Uni to think about next year, plus I'm not seeking a full career in the army. I just want to get fit, get some confidence, leadership skills, that kind of thing.

Originally Posted by Walker

No offense, but A) That guy is an asshole. B) Ah... no comment. I think you're kinda missing the point if disagreeing with the reasons for whatever conflicts we're currently involved in is a reason for not joining the military. It's the military's job to go to war or refuse their orders as unjust and spend a couple years at Leavenworth or as illegal, at which point it gets iffy.

EDIT: Incidentally, Arseface, maybe I should already know this-- but are Aussie forces deployed anywhere at the moment?

We are deployed, in a much more limited fashion, pretty much everywhere America is, plus some of our neighbouring countries, particularly East Timor.

Originally Posted by cheezMcNASTY

regardless of which branch of the army you signed up for, be wary. if you think that you are safe because you would have to volunteer or be in a certain branch to avoid combat....just know that your superiors may not think the same way.

remember to CYOA (cover your own a**), and make sure you end up where YOU want to be in the army...that you aren't assigned somewhere dangerous for someone elses agenda.

I don't mind being deployed anywhere. I don't really have any regrets, and the idea of dying for my country is something I would be incredible proud of, regardless of the theatre. Besides the Reserves only get deployed into a warzone if they are really needed. If I do get deployed, it'll most likely be for peacekeeping missions or disaster relief in neighbouring countries.

Australia has a really romantic image of their army, mostly from our deployment at Gallipoli in WWI, where we got completely decimated, but we still fought with courage, commitment, honour etc. That image has survived since then, and it's really something I would like to be a part of.

Originally Posted by Sean

Australia has an Army?

Aside from the pseudo racism associated with that remark, it does hold some water. Our country is almost as big as America, but we have less than a tenth the population. During WWII our contigency plan for if the Japanese invaded was to just hand over Queensland (a state which covers just under a quarter of our landmass), and hope they stopped there.

Originally Posted by Tiamatria

I was always more interested in being a cop than in the military, because it's be sooo much cooler to get shot by a crack addict rather than getting blown to bits by a cell phone. xD

Yeah, that does make sense. I also did think about doing that, but I don't think I'd enjoy it as much. Plus it's more of a full time pursuit than what I hope to be doing.

[JohnDoe]

I could never enlist in the military. Don't get me wrong, I have a deep appreciation for the military, Army in particular, I just don't think I could do it.

I can do push-ups with ease and I can do sit-ups until I lose count. I can do pull-ups at a pace that would put your average 20-something to shame and I'd only be slightly exaggerating if I were to suggest that I could lift boulders with one finger. But I walk with a cane so that might pose a problem on the running bit... That aside though, I still wouldn't make it.
Discipline is a trait that I admire in others but have never had much of myself, and my desire to have everything operate under my terms would not be seen as beneficial to... well hardly anyone other than myself. But yea, that's rambling a bit. So, to topic...

Arseface: Congratulations, my hopes are that you achieve what you set out to do.

[Diablo]

Apparently i'm suited to be either a Cavalry Scout (19D), Indirect Fire Infantryman (11C), or Infantryman (11C)
Cool.

[Arseface]

I was best suited for several Special Forces jobs. Go me.

[Hal]

Special Forces Sergeant FTW

[RLRAFTERMAN]

Im currently in the U.S. Army and have been for the past 7 years with 2 and 1/2 of those years being in Iraq. I love my job, though its not for everyone. My best advice to you is to pick an MOS (Job) that you know you will enjoy for your entire enlistment. Hooah and good luck to you.